


Just One Yesterday

by WonderfullyWanderingAlone



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires, because why the hell not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WonderfullyWanderingAlone/pseuds/WonderfullyWanderingAlone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the underworld and supernatural held under a monarchy that has been ruling for the last 1,000 years, the world is at last in a slim stance of peace. The guilty are brought under the court, and either executed or released based on the evidence against them. Levi Rivaille is somewhat infamous on how many crimes he's been accused of but never convicted of. He's a strong and smart vampire with not a lot to lose. </p><p>He's a nobody, who deals mostly with his life in a vampire gang that could all be killed under the jurisdiction of the monarchy if the rulers ever found out how much they should be charged with.</p><p>But the Monarchy itself is going to use Levi and another to save themselves from outside and within, because he's a nobody and the guard who is chosen to go with him is a member of the 'nobody' club with him. He chooses this only because it helps himself, but he finds a lot more on this journey than he ever has found before. Even the mighty can fall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cells and Filth

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for clicking on this even though I suck at summaries! I decided to write this because I've always been curious to do a vampire story before, and Levi is such an adorable vampire that I couldn't resist temptation.  
> I've decided to post this and see how you all react to it. If you react well, and I get positive feedback, then I'll surely continue it. If it has the opposite affect than I'll try to forget about it.

Cell doors could only hold in so much. A warm body, held in a stature of innocence that couldn’t at all be true, because of his surroundings. Yet, the cold words and snickers that slipped between those bars were more than enough to show that those bars could never really hold in anybody. It isn’t just the body that holds the soul, for the mind does too. 

The bars held an ugly gleam to them, no shine left from the many grubby hands that had tore and scratched at their surfaces. They were painted black from grease, and dust, bent in a few odd shapes by a few who had used all their strength to do so. The bed wasn’t any better. The blankets that had been slapped haphazardly on it were covered with red and brown stains. Urine and blood, if anybody wanted to give a wild guess at what they are. Perhaps the brownish stains on the pillow were of drool, but the man occupying the cell really didn’t care to find out which was which. There were stains on everything, and he wasn’t going to touch a damn thing.

First impressions also, weren’t really needed in this case. If you couldn’t hear the cursing coming from the cell from at least down the hall, then you might as well be deaf. He’d had enough first impressions in this very cell to last him a life time, and many more. This wasn’t his first time at the rodeo, so to speak.

“Do you know how fucking grimy this shitty place is? You could at least get some new sheets. Ever heard of Target? Go there, get some sheets, come back. It’s not rocket science.”

The guard outside the cell wasn’t having near as much fun as the voice inside was. His hands were gripped tightly onto the spear, and he was trying to hold in the urge to just jab the end through the mans throat. At least that would stop the jabbering and constant nagging.

“I suppose for some of you it is rocket science though. Want me to write the name of the store down? Wait, do you even know how to read?”

“Yes. I know how to read. Please be quiet now.” The guard whispered, fingers tightening on the spear.

“So you know your ABC’s? I suppose looks can be deceiving. If you don’t, I can sing it for you? Would you want that?”

“Yes.”

“You want me to sing you your ABC’s?”

The guard whirled around, pointing the spear at the cage. Not close enough where the prisoner could reach out and grab it, but close enough where it was considered a threat.

“No, you stupid bastard! Yes, I can sing them. No, I do not need you to.”

“A.”

“Oh shit no, that’s not what I meant!”

“B.”

The guard turned around with wild eyes, seriously thinking about just jabbing the spear into the others throat. It wouldn’t kill him, after all, he hadn’t even grabbed one of the poisonous spears. He knew the temptation would be too much to withstand if he had one of those. It would at least get the other man to shut the hell up for two seconds. The feeling of the others blood spilling would just be an added bonus. 

But, as always, consequences overruled inside his head. Death was not something that he wanted to encounter at any time. He didn’t even want to go back to training, though he was the one who had signed up for it. Training was much worse than having to stand in front of an idiots cage for 24 hours and have to listen to him make fun of his intelligence. Which, the guard reasoned, was superb. Instead, he decided to tune out as much of the bickering as he could.

“C.”

Tuning something out was a lot harder than one would imagine.

“D.”

Fingers tightened once again over the spear.

“E.”

Digging into the wood, and breathing shuttering to stay calm because Jean knew he was not an idiot and definitely knew his ABC’s.

“F.” 

His neck twitched, and muscles ached, burning and wanting to just do something, anything to get the prisoner to shut up.

“G.”

His heart beat hard in his chest, sending blood out through his whole body and up through his head. 

“H.”

Another word and the prisoner was going to die. He didn’t give a single fuck on how this could be the end of his career and he could be thrown out onto the streets. If the idiot said one more word. Not even a word, one more single letter than he was going to die the most horrible death he could ever imagine. The death at the hands of Jean Kirstein himself. 

“Jean, you look like you’re extremely constipated. Either that or somebody puked on your shoes, I can’t tell which.”

Jean glanced to the side of him, leaning away from the wall and letting his spear rest against his shoulder. This wasn’t exactly the relief he was wishing for. His eyes caught onto bright green ones, mixed with a bit of aqua. Ugly, if anybody asked him. That and the hair was too dark and cut at the oddest angles. Like his companion had taken kitchen shears to it. Which, knowing the other, he probably did.

“Jeager, get your ass over here. You’re late for your duty.” Jean’s voice grumbled, and he thrust the spear over to his coworker.

“You kind of always look like those two things though.” ‘Jeager’ continued, reaching out the grab the spear and trying to ignore how sweaty it was from the grip the other had on it.

Turning on his heel, Jean left without so much as a wave goodbye, nor a remark on the others face like he usually would. It just showed how pissed off he was. Mostly because he was intelligent, and he was going to keep telling himself that. Intelligent people didn’t deal with those underneath them.

“Jeager, huh?” 

The new guard turned halfway, giving an odd look into the cell. Due to the lighting, he couldn’t even see the body that half occupied it. Just a slight figure, a lot shorter than usual, and a lot slimmer than he was used to seeing. 

“Jeager is my last name, Eren is my first.” The guard replied, before nibbling at the back of his cheeks. He probably shouldn’t go blurting out his real name to prisoners. Somehow, that didn’t come off as a good idea to him. His instincts were usually good, anyways.

“Eren... never heard of you. You new here?” The prisoner took a small step forward, reaching out to rest his hands on the bars, before letting them fall back to his sides. 

“Newer.” Eren replied curtly, turning his head back around to stare down the hallway. Guard duty was generally boring, and he hated to make talk with them. Somehow his words were always turned against him, “I’m not much for one with talking to prisoners.”

“Is that all that we are to you?” The prisoner asked again, and had Eren looked, he would’ve seen a flash of white teeth, “Some of us are innocent, you realize.”

“Innocent until proven guilty, or at least proven guilty by evidence.” Eren recited, hating that he couldn’t control his tongue. There was just something about winning a battle of words with someone that made his insides spark up in a heat of battle, and made his lips curl up in the oddest of ways. 

“Where is your evidence then, Mr. Newboy Jeager?”

Eren slipped his hands underneath black robes, pulling out a small wallet that lit up when flipped open. Fingers flicking across the screen unfolded in front of him, he started to read, “Prisoner Number 3872, wanted for the murder of over 56 people, along with the 436 hundred others he has not been convicted with; but is reasoned to have a parting of. He is also wanted for the stealing of resources and the dejection of the court in his trials.”

“Big words, you’re smarter than the horse-faced idiot that was in here earlier.”

Eren snapped the wallet looking device closed and slipped it back underneath the black veil of his cloak, feeling the silk ripple against his bare arms and legs like cold water. He straightened his back once again, holding onto the spear so that it was resting against his chest, and leaning against the front of his shoulder. 

Having no response given to him, the prisoner turned his head and looked around his cell once more. He’d been standing up for at least three days now, and his thighs were screaming at him, along with his calves. He’d thought about sitting on the dirty bed, but that would make him want to take a shower immediately. He didn’t really have that kind of luxury at the moment. The stench of the place was starting to get to him also, and the only kind of relief he got from that was a small slit at the top of the cell not a person could fit through unless they were the size of a golf ball. Despite the size of it, it was barred for protection from those who wanted out. A window, or so he had been told. The only windows he’d ever known though were lower to the ground so he could at least look through them. He missed the scent of the night when it was pitch black out, and the crunch of leaves under his foot, coloring on them telling him which step in the moments of their decaying they were in. 

Fall, he reasoned, was his favorite season of the year. Nature lay in front of him during that time like an open book, showing it’s weaknesses in the bark of the tree branches that hadn’t been exposed before the cold set in. The grass that wilted from the moisture of rain dripping down on it, and making little creatures scurry back into hiding.

“Hey, newbie.” The prisoner 3872 for no better naming, called out once again to the guard standing outside his cell. “You’ve got my report there, when is my trial?”

Eren let out a sigh, and flipped open his wallet once again. His screen illuminated the room more than the small light sitting at the top of the ceiling ever had the hope of. He scrolled through the report for a few moments, before pausing.

“In about ten minutes. That’s why I’m here, I’m to escort you to the meeting room, and then escort you either back here or to the doors to let you go. Whichever is decided for you an--”

“Alone?!” The prisoner hissed, and this time Eren swiveled around, gripping the spear just as tightly as his comrade had done.

“What?” Eren asked, taking a small step away from the cell as he did so.

“You’re taking me there alone? With nobody else?” The voice was harsh and strained, something that Eren hadn’t been expecting. Earlier it had been so calm and cool, teasing almost. Now it held nothing but a crisp and dangerous edge.

“You stupid... stupid fuckers.” Harsh breathing, dragging out from a sore throat, “You think this is a good idea? Run, Eren Jeager. Don’t you open this cell all alone, because you’re going to be a scared little mouse and I do so love temptation.”

“Calm down.” 

“No.” The prisoner screamed, and pale hands shook, wanting something to grab onto and shake that wasn’t completely filthy, “Do you realize how long I’ve been in here? Do you have an ounce of an idea of how long, do they realize? Torture, you fuckers have resorted to torture. So they send little guards to stand in front of my cell all day and night. I can smell you all so much. The last one smelled like crisp apples, sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon. You smell like... like grass and leaves and you smell delicious.”

Eren took another small step back at the words spouting from the savage prisoners throat. He may be a beginner, but he definitely knew how to do this. How to deal with a situation like this.

“Actually, I think this was all part of the plan.” Eren responded in a gentle voice, making soft humming noises in the back of his throat like his mother had done when he was little to scared and injured animals. Trying to get them to calm down, and realize they weren’t in any danger.

“You’re trying to soothe me?” The prisoner let out a long and hard laugh, “Oh that’s ironic. You’re the one who will need soothing here soon.”

“No, I won’t.” The guards voice held nothing but assurance, “To this date you have never attacked a guard or an employee. No matter how long you’ve been in here.”

“Five days, three hours, twelve minutes and forty-nine seconds.” 3872 interrupted, “That’s how long. Do you realize what that means?”

“I don’t care how long you’ve been in here, you know why? You’re not going to break that record now. I know what your other record says, how many you’ve injured, but you have done well so far with the people in this prison. You’re not going to give that up all because you’re a little bit thirsty.”

There wasn’t anything but silence, and minutes ticked by as Eren counted in his head to on hundred several times over. Finally there was a gentle breeze of movement, and slick black shoes on cement as the prisoner stepped up to the door. Eren stared into stormy gray eyes, with a red circle around the pupil. The prisoners skin was paler than Eren had ever seen, and dark bags held under those unemotional and tired eyes. He was a sight to behold, at best. Mostly because he looked like he’d been through a tornado, with cut short black hair flipping across his forehead, and his clothes marred with rips.

“You’ve got a big mouth.” The man whispered, slipping his hands through the bars, “At least cuff me, before we go.”

Eren’s fingers shook just a tad bit, clicking metal rings around the prisoners wrists. He tightened his hand around them for a moment, tugging, as a reassurance that the clasps were in working order. Once he felt happy with how they were adjusted, he let go and the hands withdrew from the bars immediately. Unlike all the other prisoners, this one didn’t test the chains between the two cuffs. He already knew exactly how much pressure he could put on them and they still wouldn’t break. Silver, others had learned a long time ago, worked well on these species. It wasn’t deadly to them as it was to other creatures, but it still allowed for them to be weakened underneath its power.

“As we step down the hallway, you will talk to no other prisoners. You will not make motions towards them, nor try to get a reaction from them. You will walk quickly and quietly as I walk behind you. When arriving at the court, hold your voice until you are asked to talk and are given permission to. I will start by reading your record and information, and give details about the trial. When the verdict is given I will escort you to the given location.”

“Yea, I get it.” The prisoner mumbled, and stepped back from the door, “I’ve heard this hundreds of times.”

“Hmm...” Eren hummed, shaking his head at that. With a spear resting against his shoulder in a calm grip. Shoulders slack with just the tiniest amount of apprehension, “Then you should know how this works.” 

“You could say I’ve learned, yes.” The prisoner spoke through gritted together teeth, yet those eyes didn’t change at all, “Though this time is a bit different. They’ve never left me here for so long... especially with my predicament.”

“You’re not the first one with that predicament to be in here.” Eren didn’t tell the other how he hadn’t ever heard of somebody like the prisoner to be kept for such a long time, alone, and with nothing to feed from.

The guard was pulled out of his speculations as his ‘wallet’ buzzed from within his black robes, and he slipped a key out from between two fingers. It seemed to appear from thin air, as always. The lock let go with a sharp click that reverberated throughout the whole prison. The prisoner inside made no move to leave when the door slid back, though he did take a small step forward, before pausing.

“Stay back, guard. I don’t care how well you know my records, temptation does have its breaking point and when I said that you smelled delicious,” The prisoner took in a deep breath. “I was not kidding.”

“Noted.” Eren pulled his spear up against him even tighter, and turned on his heel, “Follow me, Prisoner 3872.”

Ticking of shoes on the cement as they walked was the only response to a very rhetorical comment. The prisoner worked hard on ignoring the cat calls from several of the other cells, and he gritted his teeth again when several of them called out to him personally. The cement under him almost made him nauseous. He hated it, the feeling of being surrounded by nothing but cold and hard, that obviously hadn’t been made by nature. He wondered idly if one could get land-sick, instead of sea-sick. He wished for those decaying leaves under his footsteps to let out crisp crunches as he stepped on them, and feeling the grass part around his shoes as he walked. He wished for the trees above him that sifted the moonlight when he walked, so that hardly any of it touched his pale skin.

No matter where his thoughts went though, he was continuously aware of the presence of the young boy by him. The guard couldn’t have been more than 19 years old, if that. He wasn’t bad looking for a young one, and would make a spectacular guard as he grew older. Perhaps even a leader on military service if he tried hard enough. He had the sort of mouth about him that made others want to bend to his will and make sure that they made him proud. 

Which is exactly why the guard wasn’t laying on the ground splattered in his own blood, with a cuffed prisoner over him. That, and the prisoners pride was a matter to be dealt with. Which just proved, this guard could very well get under another persons skin without even trying.

“Eren.” The prisoner murmured, trying to catch the guards attention, “Step a bit away from me.”

“What?”

“I said, step a bit away from me.” He whispered, his voice echoed with scratchiness as before.

The prisoner decided that if he was going to be kept so close to this idiot, even if he did move to the side a few ticks, the might as well look at him. His wandering eyes caught on the sun kissed hands gripping the sword with nervous fingers, and the way the guards muscles moved under his skin when he walked. The way his feet barely touched the floor, before they kept going on again. Not to mention his height, which the prisoner was very sad to admit was much taller than his own.

“Thank you.” He finally murmured. 

The guard hummed back, coming to an abrupt stop and pushing open a door. He didn’t even get a good look at it, but he knew there would be scratch marks on that surface too. Of those who tried to grab ahold of it and keep it from opening, so that they didn’t have to meet the death that stood behind the door. 

The room was nothing less than spectacular. Covered in velvety black curtains, the walls held not a stain on them. The floor was tiled with white and gray, cleaned so beautifully that the whole room smelled of bleach. It was almost covered up by the smell of a candle burning on every table, and the eyes that melted into his skin made him shiver as they glanced at him. So many, all waiting here for his presence. Like every other time he’d come here, he really wished he could’ve at least showered before. 

“My lord I present to you prisoner 3872 from cell block B, partitioned to be held for trial at half past noon. His records are of--”

“I get it, Jeager. I know this one well.” The prisoner rolled his head on his shoulders and slowly looked up into a very well known face, giving a closed lip smile. He held his hands behind his back and bowed in sarcasm, letting one knee bend forward as he did so.

“Corporal Levi Rivaille, lovely to see you again.” The judge leaned a chiseled chin on leather gloved fingers, “You look absolutely dreadful.”

“Erwin Smith, please, call me Prisoner 3872. It’s must less of a mouthful, for your majesty.”

Erwin’s lips drew up into a smile at the corners, and he leaned back on his chair. His blonde hair held in perfect shape where it had been combed over earlier before the meeting, and his long robe much like the guards, held jewels on it that gleamed from the bright lights up above.

“I see you still have your sarcasm about you, despite how horrible you look.”

“Again a jab at how I look.” Levi spoke, shifting on his feet and rolling his shoulders back as best as he could with the cuffs cutting him off halfway, “If we’re going to talk about appearances, then by all means, I’ll hold nothing back. I see you’ve redecorated.”

Erwin nodded, holding his arms out and motioning towards the walls, “Yes, black curtains are much easier to clean than white walls are. I have finally learned some sense on that.”

“I can see the usefulness...” Levi wrinkled up his nose, “I don’t like it.”

“I’m not surprised, you don’t like a lot of things.”

“It costs to have good tastes I suppose, and I am willing to pay the price. Some, though they have large amounts of money at their disposal, still do nothing about that. You, Erwin, are a perfect example of that.” Levi gave a real grin this time, his teeth gleaming up at the judges.

Eren took a step forward again, grabbing ahold of his spear tighter within his grip. When Erwin shot him a dark look, he stepped back once again and took a deep breath. Levi or not, this creature was a prisoner and could attack.

“Such a smart mouth, on such a short little man.”

Levi snapped his teeth once, “Don’t comment on my shortness. You’ll loose my respect.”

“Never realized I had it.” Erwin shook his head once again, his broad shoulders evening out from the silent laughter that had adorned him. His stature turned serious, as he leaned over the table and placed his palms upon it, “But, you do look dreadful. Anything ailing you?”  
  The lords voice was mixed with sympathy and knowing at the same time.

Levi’s eyes turned hard, “You know exactly what the fuck is ailing me. You planned this and I have no idea why. You leave me in that cage without an ounce of blood for five days-almost six-and then you send little delicious guards to stand over me. I could smell them even as I slept...”

Erwin nodded at this, looking over at the other judges and giving them a self-satisfied smirk. He turned back around and motioned for Eren to come forward.

“Jeager, you can take off those handcuffs now. He looks like he’s been through enough, and those have never looked good on him. He’s no danger to us, I am forced to believe.”

“Oh sure, play it like that, you sick fuck.” Levi’s voice spoke up before Eren could even open his mouth, “Don’t even tell me why you held me here for days. Don’t take these cuffs off because I’m fucking thirsty, and believe me, I’ll rip out every little throat that decides to step in front of me if you do.”

Erwin’s eyes flashed. He stood very slowly, his height taller than any other on the room, even if he wasn’t seated on a pedestal like he was. “Levi you have the greatest self-preservation that I have ever beheld within a vampire like yourself, and you’re not going to loose that today. This has just been a bit of a test, an experiment to put it lightly.”

“I hate experiments.” The vampire whispered, clashing his teeth together once more and crouching down, “I don’t like being the one experimented on either.”

“Calm down, vampire.” Erwin snapped. Several of the guards pulled out their swords, encrusted with a type of poison that would put Levi to his knees if he dear moved an inch more, “You were called into prison on the behalf of another who accused you of murdering a wife of one of our guards, six days ago. He came in and told us the story the same day that my guards took you in. We like to work in a timely fashion as you know. You were kept here as long as you were to prove you innocent, and if you wish to attack me for saving you, then do so and I will never make this act of remorse again for you.”

Levi’s eyes twitched, and he slowly let his gums slip over his teeth in a more humane gesture, “Tell me more, and we’ll see.”

“He accused a Mr. Levi of Commerce Street, of draining the blood of his wife. Knowing you and your record, we immediately brought you but we didn’t hold a questioning. I know the ways of the vampires, and I know how long it takes them to start going into a frenzy from blood-loss.”

“At least ten days, if they’re strong.” Levi muttered, when the other didn’t continue to talk. His stance broke very slowly, and his voice calmed a bit as he listened. Things clicked in his head, like keys falling into locks.

“Exactly. Had you drank that woman and drained her, you would’ve been sated for at least two weeks, especially with how old you are and how strong you are. Your strength was shown on how you didn’t attack our guard on the way here, who we purposefully left alone for your benefit. In other words, you wouldn’t be standing in front of us with ripped clothing caked in mud, with bags underneath your eyes, and snarling at us in a way you have never done before had you delved into the woman's forbidden blood. In a way that shows us just how thirsty our infamous little vampire is.”

Levi stared up at the judges for a moment, and held his cuffed hands out, “I’m free to go then, yes?” He asked, his voice raspy once again. He could smell Eren from behind him. He could tell that the boys heart was beating a bit harder than it was supposed to, and he could smell the bit of salty sweat the shivered down his arms when he moved.

He could smell his blood, and how sweet it would be running over his tongue.

“Of course. I think we’ve proven you’re not guilty for this murder at least.” Erwin turned and motioned forward, “Eren, come take the cuffs off of him, please.”

Levi could feel the air shifting by Eren as he stepped forward. He could feel the brush of warm fingers against his own cold skin as they dealt with the cuffs, and he could smell how close his neck would be if he just arched his head a little bit further. If his hands pulled up and ran along the humans neck, and if he could just-

“Levi!” The one in question snapped his head around to Erwin, his eyes glazed over slightly with need and his grip tightening on Erens shoulders where he had found himself placing his hands.

“I’m thirsty, Erwin, my old friend.” Levi murmured and sucked in a deep breath, “Why must you torture me so.”

Erwin leaned over and whispered to another guard, who took a step forward and flashed his own pointed teeth at Levi.

“Let him go, filth.” The guard snarled, and Levi raised his upper lips once again, letting out a harsh snarl, before slowly letting go of the Erens shoulders. He took a small step back and held up his hands, now free from the cuffs.

“My apologies.” He rasped out, turning toward the door with steady steps that only those who knew him could tell faltered a little from exhaustion.

“Get yourself something to drink, Levi.” Erwin called out, just as the door was shutting behind him, “I’ve plans for you.”

The vampire paid no mind to his words, storing them for a time later when he could mull over them on his own. Instead he took off at a run that human eyes would catch as merely a blurr, and slammed into the door leading outside, breaking it in half. Breaking things was fun, especially when Erwin had to pay for them. The red ring around his pupils shifted until it consumed the black, and become nothing but the color blood. His fangs slid further down from his mouth until they indented his lower lip, and his fingernails sharpened into deadly weapons.

‘Bon appetite’ He thought, before he let himself go as much as he could without completely killing another.


	2. Information

Eren Jaeger tried not to bite down on his bottom lip as he scrubbed at the floor beneath him, mentally cursing out whoever had put him to this. Just because he was a guard and new, didn’t mean he had to scrub another creatures shit off of the floor. Actually he wasn’t sure what he was scrubbing up; just that it smelled absolutely horrible. His nose wrinkled up as he worked, and he tried to keep the swishing of his robes from meeting the now brown water. 

“This is your fucking fault.” Jean growled from beside him, and Eren had to hold back a smile at the voice despite their situation. That’s right, he got Jean in this predicament too.

“Don’t blame this on me, just do your job.” Eren gave a swift tilt to his mop, and it emptied out. Murky water swam inside the once clean bucket. He disagreed with what he had said earlier. He didn’t want to know what this was he was mopping up.

“You’re the one who antagonized the prisoner.” Jeans voice told Eren that it wasn’t going to end that easily.

“Just can’t let the subject drop, can you?”

“Not when I’m dealing with a pig like you.”

Eren turned around with the mop held tightly in his hand, and he flipped it over, so that the sudsy and disgusting end was pointed right at Jeans nose. His narrowed eyes never left the other. He held it there for a few moments, neither of them backing down due to their own pride.

“Don’t call me a pig.” He grumbled, and pulled the mop back towards him carefully. Jean didn’t move. He merely stared at his comrade, and turned back towards his own mop, mumbling some curses under his breath as he worked.

“Eren, is there a problem in here?” A gentle voice echoed throughout the cell, and both of the boys heads popped up. Jean with a light blush and Eren with a huge grin as he took in the sight of a girl with perfect black hair. So black that when it hit the lights it looked almost like navy blue, shimmering with different strands of beautiful.

“Nope, just working with this horse-face.” Eren called out, letting his mop fall to the side and rest on the wall. He took a few steps forward, his arms outstretched for an embrace that would be short lived. Instead the girl danced back a few steps, nose twitching as she caught the scent of something foul.

“Good, but you smell.” Ever so blunt.

“Even Mikasa thinks you smell like shit.” Jean grumbled from his place in the corner. He was still bent over with end of the mop shooting past his head, and a fire-like hatred in his eyes. Ever since that gloomy eyed prisoner a month ago had called him horse-face, it’d gotten around so fast he almost got whiplash. Now that’s all he heard, and he was damn well sick and tired of it.

If he ever seen that prisoner again, he’d beat the shit out of him. Vampire or not; it was going to happen.

Mikasa turned her ice cold eyes on Jean for a small moment, just looking at him, before turning her eyes back to Eren. She gave a very small smile, for a quick moment, before it disappeared. That smile was for him only. Not in the way of ‘Meet me later, alone’ more in the way of ‘A smile for only those close enough to be called family.’

“I’m supposed to tell you that Commander Erwin wants to speak to you.” Mikasa’s quiet voice still reached Jeans ears, who froze along with Eren at that. His gaze drifted between the two slowly, a frown creasing his lips.

“Should I report to the meeting room, then?” Eren questioned, hesitantly.

“He wants me to escort you to his private quarters, actually.” Mikasa’s voice showed none of the same hesitancy her friends did, “With only me. Which means, Jean, you’ll be working here until you finish; alone.” 

Jean glared at the two, his hands tightening on the mop until the wood creaked. He was not going to mop up this shit on his own, he was definitely not going to do it. His anger made his arms quiver and his eyes dance with emotion. The hair that sat like it’s own mop atop his head jiggled a bit as he let in a deep breath.

“That’s bullshit.” Jean snapped, throwing the mop on the ground amidst a pile of suds, “I am not going to do this idiots hard work, just because he decided to get into a fight and I was forced to break it up!”

Eren whirled around, “You didn’t break it up! You started pounding on me with the prisoner!”

“My fist slipped!”

“On what, your ugly ass face?!”

Mikasa stared between the two for a moment, before grabbing the arm of Erens jacket and giving it a yank. Patience may be a virtue, but it was limited to those who cared and she did not happen to be one of them.

“I can tell Erwin that you were caught up in a spat with Jean, and that’s why we are late. If that’s what you two really want.” She murmured.

Both of the boys heads turned at those words and two pairs of noses wrinkled up in disgust. Despite their fighting, they were almost alike, the two. Though if Mikasa ever said the thought aloud, she’d never hear the end of it. It’s best to keep your mouth closed until you are on your death bed, and then leave them with something like that to mull over for a while. Which would be amusing, have she any urge to die anytime soon. 

“Bye Jaeger.” Jean said quickly, and grabbed his mop, yanking it back up and scrubbing furiously at the floor, “I hope Erwin rips you a new one.”

Eren grunted, “Bye, Kirschtein. I hope you fall in that filth you’re mopping up.”

“Oh the pleasantries.” Mikasa grabbed ahold of Erens jacket again. Instead of merely tugging on it, this time she gave it a good yank without letting go. The boy stumbled to the side, still smiling at Jean as he did so, before turning around and following Mikasa out of the door, not without hearing the “Don’t let the door smack your ass on the way out,” from Jean.

Their walk was nothing but silence for a long while, walking down the many hallways of the castle. It was all built underground, and chiseled into a bed of limestone and hard-rock. Not a creature could get in here without getting sick or taking them years to dig in, which would get them noticed within a short while; and they’d had people try. There were five prison blocks, all seat up next to each other and all had their own glamour. Most of the creatures that came in didn’t get along with each other, and those that did, found a way to piss each other off anyways. The vampires were always held in the first cell blocks, while the werewolves were always held in the last one. The further apart those two species ended up, the better. The fact that werewolves and vampires didn’t get along with any other creature either made the task that much simpler. Wizards and other more creative beings were held in the middle blocks, where the bars were made out of dragon scales instead of silver and melted up crosses.

Hundreds of years ago, a member of Erwins family had imagined this place. They’d imagined every cell and every stone. Imagined the luxurious food halls that were placed down the nicer corridors, and the barracks that the guards and workers would stay in. Then one day, as the rampant wars echoed outside his window of the horrible creatures who didn’t know how to settle down and play nice, he’d created a monarchy with his own fingertips. He’d built each stone up by himself, and he’d worked his way up until he sat upon the thrown he himself had created. What he didn’t expect was the many onlookers who gazed up at him, wanting to know what to do next to end the deaths.

So Erwin had a problem, on who to trust. You can’t trust those who are bloodthirsty and rampant, so he’d trusted only those who he could. Humans, despite their weaknesses. In Erwins eyes, everybody has their own weaknesses, and everybody has their own strengths. If he could just make the creatures that roamed the night see those strengths than he could win. Since that moment, every year, letters are sent out to those chosen teenagers right out of high school, asking if they would protect their city with their lives. Of course they don’t have to, the teenagers who come to work for the monarchy aren’t forced, it’s what they have been looking forward to all of their lives though. They accept without even a second thought. 

“You’ve been gone for two weeks.” Eren broke the silence with a slight accusation, his eyes flitting to the side to take in the girl who was almost the same height as him now.

“Only about one and a half.” Mikasa murmured, taking a sharp right, which had Eren jogging a bit to catch up.

“You’re not going to tell me where you were, are you?”

Mikasa glanced at Eren, taking in the sweaty strands of brown hair on the others forehead, and the way Erens muscles twitched a bit from being in use for way too long.

“I was on a mission. I had to retrieve somebody for Erwin, and he said I was the only one capable of doing it.” Mikasa murmured. She had a weakness and that was Eren.

“Who, and why were you the only one allowed to go out on it? You know I can go on missions too. We were both swore into the monarchy at the same time.” Erens voice held nothing but an argument he knew he would loose. In all his time here, almost a whole year now, he was still considered new and still unable to go on missions. While Mikasa was given almost all of them.

“You’ll find out soon enough. The reason you don’t go on missions is because you’re too bullheaded. You don’t think about what you are doing, before you do it. ” Mikasa pursed her lips until they formed a white line, “When given the opportunity, would you rather go save a big man with scars all over him and blood red eyes, or the child standing next to him?”

Eren blinked, “The child.”

“Except the child is the one causing the man to have red eyes from a curse. She’s a witch and she’s not a child. Eren you have to think about the possibilities before you run into danger like that.”

“Possibilities are stupid. If you can’t see what is right in front of you, and you aren’t given all the information, how can anybody make the right choice?”

“You don’t.” Mikasa came to a sudden halt outside of a door encrusted with gold. She reached up and grabbed ahold of Erens arms, fingers digging in until the boy winced, “You stand there and watch the child devour the man, because it shows you two things. It shows you the child is the one you are after, and it shows you the man has a past that made him deserve to die in that instant.”

Eren simply stared at his friend for a moment, green eyes dancing back and forth between two gray ones, before pulling his arm slowly away. He could feel her fingerprints still on her skin, and wondered exactly what she has been through on these missions she is constantly being sent on. In the back of his mind, he once again let out a small sense of relief that he’d been standing guard duty. Not that he didn’t want to be on a mission and help protect Mikasa, but he knew one could loose their innocence by their own hand and want. 

The door to the side of them shifted open with a small movement and a gust of air; along with two curious eyes peering out through a mop of blonde hair from the doorway.

“Eren! Mikasa! We could hear you fighting outside the door.” The blonde boy said, and gave a huge smile, eyeing them both. 

“Hey Armin.” Eren felt himself relax instantly. Both of his childhood friends in the same meeting with him, at the same time. How could this day possibly get any better?

“Excuse me.” Erwin interrupted, “Armin I believe you have work to do and I have some things to discuss with Eren here.”

Armin bowed, and slipped behind a curtain on the side of the large built room. For a gold plated door, the inside really wasn’t that glamorous. Seated with a desk at the end of the table, the room was mostly filled with five chairs sitting in the middle of the room beside a roaring fireplace. It left the air feeling cozy and warm, making the muscles relax and giving a pleasant earthy smell to the whole place. Seated in one of the chairs with his feet placed equally next to each other and his elbows resting against the armrest, sat Erwin. His blonde hair was slicked back perfectly per usual, yet the robe he was almost always seen with wasn’t present at all. Instead he wore a pair of dark brown slacks and a button up white shirt. His eyes were on Eren the whole time, and his lips didn’t even twitch up into a welcome grin. This was a business meeting, after all. 

The cold don’t smile at their pawns.

Beside him sat a smaller figure, his head tilted to the side, and his chin resting on lean fingers. With a slightly bony but muscled stature, even sitting down he didn’t look all that tall. His clothes were crisp and clean, his shirt buttoned up perfectly and arms hidden by a black leather jacket that looked as soft as silk to touch. Possibly italian leather, and the expensive kind if anybody dared to ask. His hair was pushed to the side rather haphazardly despite the rest of his appearance. It was all topped off with a silken scarf around his neck. One could follow the tie up to a stern chin and expressionless eyes flickering with red.

Albeit it wasn’t the mans appearance that made Eren tense up. It was the utter feeling of knowing who this was, and wondering why in the hell the man was seated here without chains around him. 

“When you said you were going to bring in a warrior who wouldn’t be recognized, I didn’t expect it to be this one.” The man murmured, lethargically, with a small tilt of his head.

Eren turned and gave Erwin a puzzled look, and only got a raised eyebrow in return before the older blonde answered.

“Be nice Levi, he’s never been on a mission before and he’s never even been out of the castle every since he went through training. You didn’t recognize him when you were brought in, did you?”  
  Levi pursed his lips, giving a cold and dead stare into Eren that made it feel as if his skull was going to split in two from the ice.

“No.” The vampire finally answered, sighing, “He doesn’t have one of those faces that I care to remember though.”

Eren huffed, crossing his arms across his chest, “You two just going to stand there and talk about me as if I’m not here?”

“We’re sitting, boy.” Levi argued, “Erwin, he’s not very smart either. Can’t you get another one?”

The one in question tilted his head back and let out a laugh, more delicate than one would think coming from a man of his stature. “Levi, he’s perfect for the job I have in mind. That and you don’t really get to pick, now do you?”

“It’s a figure of speech.” Eren shot back, his hand fisting onto the front of his robes in order to keep his cool. He’d once been told that his anger could get him in trouble if he didn’t reign it in on time, because it seemed to spit out into angry words from between his teeth.

“Not a very good one.” Levi’s voice still held no emotion, as if they were talking about tea.

“Stop.” Erwin snapped suddenly and for the first time, Levi’s lips tilted up in a smirk as the guards in front of him shivered, “Stop bickering, you’re going to give me a headache.”

“Sorry, your majesty.” Levi’s sarcasm showed through despite the situation, and he leaned forward a bit on the chair. He gazed deep at Eren for a moment again, before tilting back, “He’ll have to do.”  
  “Good!” Erwin’s face split out into a grin, while Erens did the opposite.

“Do what?”

“The job.” Erwin slid forward, grabbing a folder off of his desk with a little bit of difficulty, due to a cup of coffee that had been placed on top of it. He shot the vampire a glare, before opening the folder with a flick of his wrist and peered down into it, humming softly.

Mikasa shifted on her feet, glancing at Eren, then glancing away as if she didn’t want to see him at the moment. Eren understood why she’d reacted the way she had in the hallway. She had practically been spitting at him that he wasn’t ready for a mission and yet here he was, being given a file that darn well looked like one.

“I’m going on a mission, aren’t I?” Eren’s excitement made him want to bounce on his feet. He could feel it running up and down his arms, making him wiggle a bit, “You’re sending me on my first mission?”  
  “You’re only mission if you don’t come back alive, dimwit.” Levi’s snarky voice murmured once again, yet it had no affect on Erens self-esteem.

“I’m ready for this. I am definitely ready for this assignment, Mr. Smith. I don’t care what it is inside that folder, you can count on me to get whatever it is done and risk everything to do it.” 

Mikasa stiffened, and turned away from Eren completely.

“Eren--”

“Literally anything. I am tired of scrapping other peoples shit off of the floors, and I don’t ever want to do it again!”

“Jaeger!” Erwin shouted, and Eren quieted down at once, much to Levi’s amusement, “Eren Jaeger. You need to realize that this... this mission I am sending you on is going to be extremely dangerous. I was even scarce to imagine sending young Ackerman on it, but despite all of this I couldn’t anyways.”

“Why?” Eren asked, a bit dejected that he was a second choice.

“Because we need somebody who can infiltrate the cities innermost workings without getting caught. We need somebody who people aren’t going to point at and yell that they are from the monarchy. You’ve never been outside the walls since you began here, and the only people who would think of you as being one of our human comrades, are your own family.”

Levi tilted forward this time, his voice like metal scrapping together, “Which is why I am here. I’d do this job alone but I’ve got some qualms about it. One, I don’t want to do the job at all, and two, apparently I am not the most trusted individual in the monarchy. I haven’t any idea why.” 

Eren glanced at Levi, taking in the others dark appearance, before looking back at Erwin with confused eyes, “I’m not doing this alone?”

Erwin didn’t look up this time from the folder. He simply hummed for a moment, tracing a sentence on a piece of paper with his fingertips, then glancing up with cold blue eyes. 

The Ice King hadn’t earned his name for nothing.   
“Your job, Eren Jaeger, is to go with Mr. Rivaille, otherwise known as Levi, and find out why there has been an uprising on the amount of vampires being made and auctioned off lately. You’ve heard the news, haven’t you? The toddlers that were kidnapped over twenty years ago and are now starting to show up with their heads cut off and vampire blood in their veins? Perhaps you are too young to remember though.”

“No,” Eren interrupted gently, “I remember my mother talking about it. There were hundreds stolen on the same night and nobody knows why. It was all over the news. But... that case has long been cold. They reported that it was human caused, and the bodies probably won’t ever be found, didn’t they?”  
  Levi gave a slow smile, “Silly boy, nothing is ever left to rest. There had to be a reason for it. It’s just taken a while for it to come about.”

Eren glanced once again at Levi and shifted slightly on his feet, “I have to do this with... a former prisoner?”

“Yes, a former prisoner who has also decided to help us. With a little beckoning first of course.” This time the ice king really did gave a faint smile.

“There was really no need to bring in the girl and have her hunt me down, drug me, then tie me up. A nice telegram could’ve worked too, or a phone call, I hear those are popular these days. Little, ring-a-ling, and I would’ve been at your doorstep.” Levi grumbled, rubbing at his arms where Eren noticed for the first time slight red marks could be seen from the specialized cuffs Mikasa had probably used on him.

“If I would’ve gave you a... ‘ring-a-ling’, you would’ve been out of here so fast not one of us could’ve caught you. I had to do this as professionally and easily as I could, and if that meant sending one of our catchers out to get you...” Erwin’s half smile twisted into a smirk, “Well we already know that I did, and it worked.”

“You mistaken the knowledge that you have me, but you don’t even know if I’ll work with this shitlicker over here.” Levi’s calm expression turned to Eren once again, eyes traveling up the boys form until he shivered as if he could feel it. 

“You will help us, Levi. You love mysteries too much not to.”

“I won’t do it for free though. Everything has a little cost though, a little something or other that will make the nights easier to pass and the days seem a bit brighter; especially for the greedy.” Two pairs of pointed teeth flashed happily, “So you’re going to give me what I want, and I’ll get your little guinea pig over here into wherever he needs to be; and hopefully get him out.”

Eren didn’t miss the indication on whether or not Levi would bring him out alive or not.

Erwin steepled his fingers together slowly, eyeing the vampire in front of him with narrowed eyes. Nobody even shifted on their feet, nor picked at their clothing in nervousness as this happened. Like the calm before the storm, nobody wanted to break it. Not even Levi dared to move, just went on and stared right back, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling distributed throughout the whole place.

“What is your price.” Erwin eventually asked, his voice calculative.

“I want to know what you and your pawns have been doing over here in the science lab. I’ve heard things, certain things that can make a man very curious if he wants to be.”

Erwin’s body went rigid and there was a flutter behind the curtain as Armin looked out with slightly widened eyes, staring at Levi.

“No, absolutely not.” Erwin snapped, “That information is private and isn’t even relevant in this situation. That’s classified information and the information we do have we don’t even know is accurate. State another bargain.”

Armins fingertips gripped the curtain tightly, and Eren couldn’t help but give him a slightly confused look, asking silently what the other was talking about. Armin was somewhat of a genius here. He worked in a small lab below the cells, which had actually only been built about ten years previously. Young, compared to the rest of the place. The workings in the lab though were classified, and only those who started out there got to know what went on. 

“That’s my price. I asked for information, I didn’t ask if it was accurate or not.” Levi looked over at Armin, giving him a curious look, “Unless of course you don’t need my help. Which in that case, I’ll go right back to where I want to be and not bother with any of this shit.”

Erwin stared Levi down for a few seconds more and Eren shifted from one foot to the other, opening his mouth several times to talk, but closing it once again. 

“I’ll give you what information I can give you, but only after this is done and only if we succeed.” Erwin finally murmured and Armin slipped back behind the curtain, without even a glance at his two friends, “That’s my deal. You take it or you leave it, but Levi you have to admit. This problem that you’re going to deal with affects more than just us. Your life is on the line here too.”

Levi stood, with a red ring growing slightly brighter around the black hole of a pupil in his eye. He arched forward, his right arm behind his back, and that scarf tilting forward until it almost hit his chin. It stopped graciously though, as was all his movements whether he meant them to be or not.

“Of course it is, but I’ve lived a long time, and I don’t find worry that easily in these things. Now,” Levi stood up just as suddenly as he’d bowed, and slapped his hand down on Erens shoulder, “Let’s get this little shit suited up for a ‘mission’ why don’t we.”


	3. Clothing Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So I'm going to try to keep this note short. I've had a horrible case of writing block for a very long time now. I'm trying to kind of... force myself out of it, and kick my ass into gear here. I've gotten a lot of message and emails (thank you all so much for those by the way) to keep going with my stories and asking me to update them. This is a first for many that will be updated soon.  
> If this is not my best work on this chapter, I am hoping to end this writing block and get myself back into the groove very soon.  
> Thank you <3

Levi licked his front teeth, his tongue tracing his fangs for a moment, before leaving the silky bone alone. It was a nervous habit. A ‘tell’ like in a poker game, and if you knew him well enough, one would know what to look for. Luckily the only person he knew who would recognize it wasn’t even in the room anymore, Erwin tended to only stay where he was needed. Once a job was spoken of, once it was figured out, he would leave and go to his other work. 

That didn’t say he wouldn’t be back in full armor if something went wrong. 

“I’m not doing this.”

His eyes flashed over to the door, and he let out a breath of exasperation. Why couldn’t the little shit just do as he was told, and not worry about simple things such as looks?

“You’re not doing this because you’re too afraid the ladies will judge you by your lack of muscles that shirt shows off. I know, I don’t have that problem, but I know. Just get your thumb out of your ass and come out.”

“I’m not coming out, and I have muscles!”

“Well then let me see and I’ll judge for myself.”

There was a pause. A moment of hesitation, and Levi almost thought he had won the argument. He wasn’t born yesterday though, and fool was not in his vocabulary.

“No.”

Fingers pressed against a pale forehead, and Levi stood with a swoosh of his own black jacket. Like most villains, he did enjoy the abyss like color. He didn’t go as far as letting it trail against his ankles though. Instead his jacket ended a little above his waist, giving the impression that he was taller than he actually was. On his shirt was a saying ‘I Bite’ which his friend had gotten him for his birthday over the summer. He wouldn’t have worn it at all if he wasn’t actually just a tiny bit afraid of her and her rants.

Fashion was not his cup of tea. Neither was interior decorating as it may have it, so he didn’t even flinch as he pulled the door right from the wall, and threw it behind him without a break of sweat.

“There, was that so hard?”

Eren’s mouth dropped open, and his green eyes stared Levi down with utter surprise. He reached up, lacing his fingers across his chest where the top of his collar bone showed, along with his sun kissed skin. Levi dropped his eyes down the younger boy’s torso, tracing the black shirt and the chains that drifted down his chest. Laces of black combat boots tightened together over Erens ankles, becoming a corset for his legs. Finally Levi looked all the way back up, eyeing a black collar that bobbed along with his partners adams apple.

“You clean up nicely. I’m surprised such a homely looking boy could do that.”

Erens teeth ground together with a harsh noise. “I heard that.”

“Well who the fuck else am I talking to, I’m pretty sure our vampire god doesn’t have my channel on his radar.”

Eren tilted his head to the side. “There’s a god vampire?”

Levi turned around, pulling a long knife from his coat pocket. He let the tip glint in the light, before he flipped it in his hand. He grabbed for it, the blade slicing into his hand as he did so. Dark red blood dripped down onto the floor in a single, mushy-liquid drop.

“Sure, let me bring him up on speed dial.” Levi turned, holding the handle of the blade out to Eren. A trail of thin red started to dribble its way down his wrist. “Take it.”

“Is this some macho display of power? That you can grab a blade and not be afraid because you let it cut you? I hope you know I can do the same. I’m not afraid of a little blood, especially not something that came from you because that blood isn’t yours to begin with.”

Levi let his tongue linger over his fangs again. His lips turned up, and his eyes dribbled with red just as his wrist did also. Thin lines spread across his irises, disappearing into the black, and forbidding darkness of his pupils.

He leaned forward, breath shivering across Erens ear. “I would love it if you were to cut yourself with my blade. Do you know what that would do to me? I would ravish you, and I don’t mean you would find pleasure in it. I mean my pleasure would be the ultimate sacrifice to your miserable little human life.If you want to go into my home, where teeth are more common than your little black robe and smelling as utterly human as youdo, than be my welcomed guest. So by all means: Cut yourself.”

“Leave me alone.” Eren pushed the demon-like man back. Levi brushed his fingers across the lapels of his jacket that Eren had touched. As if his fingers themselves had smudged the fabric with dirt and germs.

“How about you do as I say and take the knife, then.”

Green-eyes gazed down at the hilt of the sharp-edged and bloodied knife. His fingers slipped past it though, and gripped the handle tightly; pulling it from of the vampires grasp and causing more blood to slip between Levis fingers.

“I’m not afraid of you. I’m not afraid of anything, and I’m going to end this assignment with no loose ends, whether you are caught up in it or not.”

“At least we are on the same page than, kiddo. I don’t do anything for free, and I certainly don’t do anything unless it benefits me. This problem just so happens to affect me and my… friends… “ Levi reached out, and with a gasp of protest from Eren, his bloodied fingers spread across the younger boys collar. He stroked the delicate skin with the tip of his finger, and spread his hand out.

By the time he’d pulled back, all that was left was a bloodied handprint held over Erens heart, and just covered by the fabric of his shirt when it was allowed to slip upwards once again.

“There, your smell doesn’t affect me, but where we are going…” Levi flashed a smile. “Others aren’t near as nice as me.”

“Levi, control yourself, please.”

Eren let out a breath, shifting on his feet to look at his boss.

“He’s infuriating, Erwin. Tell him to stop being infuriating.”

The surprised look turned to a speechless one on Eren. He received an almost tender one back. Had it not been for the leaders’ sculpted jawbones and firm expressions, he could have been somewhat of a father figure to some. With Erwin though, you could never tell if he would hold his hand out for you to grab, or let you fall to your death. It wasn't an equation that Eren liked to dread upon.

“As of now,” Erwin flipped Eren a passport, with Erens own sullen face gazing back at him. “He’s yours to command as you see fit. You will go and see what is going on in the underworld. If you bring us back a sample of one of the old toddlers blood, and bring us back information on it we can handle the rest. Don’t kill anybody without a cause for it, and don’t do anything stupid. You will report back to us as soon as you can, and if anything comes up. Of course, if something does come up, I expect you both to be able to handle it. Eren you are to stay under Levi's wing. Some of the people you are going to meet aren't very apt on me and my comrades.”

With the last sentence, Erwin shot Eren a look, who stared down at his combat boots instead of is leaders eyes.

He was rash with all of his movements. Quick to run into the fight, and slow to think about who he was fighting in the first place. He liked what was in front of him. What he could touch and feel with his palms, what he could see with the brightness of his eyes and smell with the strength of his nose. Instead, he was constantly forced to look around all of these simple and obvious things and to wait. He wasn’t sure what he hated the most, the waiting, or the fact that he was always held back by his past and his mistakes.

“Oh, and Levi?” Both Eren and Levi looked up at Erwins words. They weren’t like the rest. They were hard and cold as stone. “You’ll be under surveillance for this mission, and if you screw up, we will hold it against you. If you so much as lick our Erens throat, let alone bite any part of him, I’ll have you thrown into the darkest prison and let bloodlust rip you into pieces.”

Levi’s easy demeanor dropped quickly. Once again, his back arched forward and down, as he bowed with both hands behind his back. “Of course, oh great leader. If I bite into his soft little neck, I’ll give you my own teeth.”

Erwin did not bow back. He stood tall and proud, his blonde head held high above the other bowed black haired one. He turned on his heel, elegant robes (much more elegant than Eren had on earlier) swept the floor behind him and pulled back from the door just as it shut behind him.

“He’s such a nice man, is he not?” Levi bent down, strapping up his own laces and clicking his fingers together. “Honestly, I don’t see why more ladies flock to him. He’s so easy-going and so peaceful to be around.”

“Are you going to be sarcastic like this for the whole mission?” Eren asked, pulling up his shirt even more to hide the hand mark on his chest.

“It’s what I do best.” Levi turned, and instead of going back through the door that Erwin had come from, he stepped up towards the wall and started peeling bricks away.

“What are you doing?!” Eren gasped, stumbling backwards from the onslaught of dust that was going through the air. “This is Erwins private chambers!”

“I know.” Levi knocked his fist through He made no show that he’d triumphed over anything. He bent a bit and the whole bottom of the wall came out, sunshine peeking through the walls of the building.“If he’s going to put up curses against vampires on the outside, he really needs to start thinking of the ones on the inside. Plus I enjoy destroying his things such as he destroys mine.”

Levi hummed and slid through the hole, disappearing with all the jest of a real vampire into the dusty demise that Eren was surely going to get blamed for later on. He looked back down at his passport, eyeing his name written in black and study letters, before tucking it into his pocket.

Seeing the sun for the first time in real life in over 10 years was something to behold. Dust danced its way across the shiny tears of the sun’s rays. He reached out, feeling warmth that no blanket or made-light could ever come close to, embrace his hand. He felt as if he was in a snow globe, but instead of snow, he was being shrouded in a shrine of light and happiness. Warmth that filled his torso and sped up his spin, making a smile climb up over the humans face.

Nothing could possibly go wrong. Not with anything that belonged in the suns beautiful gaze.

“Hey.” Eren jerked, looking back at the whole which Levi was poking his head through. “You going to stand there and look constipated, or are you going to get your ass moving. My rides here and I haven’t got all day.”

Eren glanced back down at his outstretched hand, and pulled it back up against his chest. He stepped through the dust, swishing it past his face. He expected green grass and a blue sky.

He was met with iron bars, held together with more curses than a good wielding job. The only way out was an already opened gate, leading out to a desolate road. The sun peaked through little spaces in the clouds, and Eren glanced up at Levi.

“I thought it was supposed to be more beautiful.” He murmured.

“A lot of things in life are exaggerated. There’s nothing beautiful in the world. There’s dust, blood, and a whole lot of anger.”

Eren furrowed his eyebrows. He glanced behind him, and upwards. Somewhere inside the castle Jean was cleaning gripping about something. Armin was working on his own thing behind his curtain and lots of lab coats. Grey eyes watched him from a top window. Mikasa, as always, was working on watching Eren.

He gave his friend a wave and a smile, and silently hoped it wasn’t his last.

“Alright, get on.”

Levi gave him a smirk, seated atop a black motorcycle. What sun shone through, hit the rims and made illusions of rainbows dazzle across the pavement. Painted across the empty back seat were two wings, dripping in colored red blood.

Eren supposed, it really was his last wave goodbye.


End file.
